If you can’t identify a flooring term as you search our website, look it up here.

Support

A

Above-grade

A suspended floor, located above ground level, with a minimum of 18 inches of -ventilated air space below. A suspended floor
is normally over a basement, but may be over a crawl space.

AC Wear Layer

This durable wear layer protects against wear, stains, and fading. It offers the best resistance to scratches and indentations
for your laminate floor.

Acclimation

Refers to the flooring's adjustment to the environment it is in, in terms of moisture and humidity. It is important to let
flooring acclimate before installing.

Acrylic Infused

Liquid acrylic injected throughout the srface layer of wood to fortify the fibers for added durability.

Aluminum Oxide

A commonly used flooring finish because of its strength. Second in hardness to diamond, it serves as a protective coating
for many hardwoods.

B

Below-Grade

Below ground level; partially or completely below the surrounding ground level and in direct contact with the ground.

Beveled Edged

Refers to a type of edge available in hardwood flooring. Beveled edges have a “v” shaped groove that is commonly used in informal
settings. This edge can also help hide uneven subflooring or differences in plank thickness.

Blind Nailing

Forcing nails into the grooves of tongue-and-groove flooring planks at a 45-degree angle using an electric flooring hammer.

Bruce® Lock&Fold® Installation

Installation method for Bruce Laminate flooring which features a unique tongue-and-groove profile that allows for easy installation
of boards by just locking edges into place. No glue required. Offers the tightest fit and provides virtually seamless appearance.

Crowning

Cupping

Dimensional Stability

The ability of flooring to retain its original dimensions during the service life of the product.

Distressed Visual

A design term that describes an aged, timeworn look.

DIY (Do-It-Yourself)

DIY is an acronym for “do it yourself,” referring to projects that can be installed without a professional. DIY levels range
from easy to difficult. The more advanced levels require more complex tools and more DIY project experience.

DPL (Direct Pressure Laminate)

Direct pressure laminate is the most typical fusing method used to manufacture residential laminate flooring. With this method,
the surface, inner layers, and backing layer are fused in a single press operation.

Dura-Luster®

Clear finish that consists of multiple layers of ultraviolet-cured urethane resins that form a hard traffic- and wear-resistant
barrier that protects the wood from soils and stains.

Dura-Luster® Plus

Eased Edge

Type of edge available in hardwood flooring that is shallower and more rounded than a “v”-shaped, beveled edge.

Edge Detail

A term that describes the way hardwood and laminate board edges and ends are cut. Edges and ends are typically described as
square, eased, beveled, and microbeveled.

Embossed-in-Register

A manufacturing process that intensifies the depth, texture, and realistic look of the floor by aligning the embossing with
the printed design. This technique is used on Bruce laminate and vinyl floor products.

Engineered

A term describing hardwood construction. Engineered hardwood boards are manufactured from multiple layers – or plies – of
wood assembled in a cross-ply construction. The top layer reveals the wood species and color when the planks are installed.
Due to its construction, engineered hardwood is more dimensionally stable than solid hardwood and can be installed below grade
and over concrete subfloor.

Expansion

Changes in dimension of a wood floor due to swelling and contracting as a result of moisture.

Flat Sawn (also “plain-sawn”)

Floating

Installation method in which individual planks are glued and/or locked together, without direct attachment to the subfloor.

Floating Floor

A floor that does not need to be nailed or glued to the subfloor and can be installed over most existing floors, including
concrete, ceramic, vinyl, wood, and even some indoor/outdoor carpet.

Floor Protectors

Screw-on attachments for the bottom of chair and table legs to distribute the weight of furniture evenly in order to reduce
indentations. Abrasions can be prevented with unique, replaceable felt pads on the floor protectors.

FSC

Forest Stewardship Council. An independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organization established to promote the responsible
management of the world’s forests.

Flush Reducer

Used to level the height between a two floor surfaces. Also used a transition from room to room.

Flush Stair Nose

Allows a smooth transition between the stair edge and the riser.

Forest Stewardship Council

An independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organization established to promote the responsible management of the world’s
forests.

Full Bathroom

A bathroom with sink, toilet, and bathing facilities, including one or more of the following: shower, bathtub, Jacuzzi/whirlpool,
spa, and sauna.

Knot

The portion of a branch that has been surrounded by subsequent growth of the wood of the trunk or other portions of the tree.
A knot appears on the sawed surface, but it’s merely a section of the entire knot, its shape depending on the direction of
the cut.

Lacy Act

Prohibits all trade in plant and plant products illegally sourced from any U.S. State or foreign country.

Laminate Backing

A thermo-fused backing that provides additional strength and protection and ensures the floor stays flat, even when exposed
to bottom-up moisture, which is particularly common with installations over concrete.

Laminate Flooring

Hard surface flooring utilizing a fiberboard core and Melamine wear layer that is available in blocks, planks, and squares
and can be installed as individual units.

Laminate Flooring Glue

Adhesive used to provide extra durability and moisture resistance in areas that might be exposed to high moisture, such as
bathrooms and near kitchen sinks.

Laminate Image Layer

The look of your laminate floor, in a wide variety of domestic and exotic wood, stone, and tile visuals. Laminate Surface
A clear wear layer for super protection, even against the harsh punishment of sunlight, stains, and burns.

Lock&Fold®

The industry’s fastest and easiest type of hardwood installation system. The system locks planks together without the use
of glue, nails, or staples. Can be used with both hardwood and laminate floors, depending on the product.

Locking Floating/Locking Installation System

Method of installing laminate or wood flooring with a unique tongue-and-groove profile that allows for easy installation of
boards by just locking edges into place. No glue is required. Allows for installation up to 30% faster than standard installation.
Locking floors “float” over the subfloor.

Lumber Grade

The National Oak Flooring Mfg. Assoc. (NOFMA) standard grading system for unfinished flooring that determines how many defects
are acceptable in wood sold.

On-Grade

Parquet

Inlaid woodwork in geometric forms, sometimes of contrasting woods, used in flooring. A common example is individual pickets
of wood flooring, adhered together in groups of six pickets – then four picketed squares are alternately adhered to form a
tile pattern.

Patina

The change in wood color over time from light exposure and other natural elements.

Permion™

A hardwood floor finish that features an extra-hard urethane coating with aluminum oxide for superior resistance to surface
wear-through.

Photo Sensitivity

The likelihood that a floor’s natural color will change after long-term exposure to natural light.

Plank

Board width is 3 inches or greater.

Plain-Sawn (also “flat sawn”)

Standard way of cutting logs to make hardwood flooring.

Ply (Plies)

Another word for a layer of wood, typically used to describe engineered hardwood construction layers.

Polyurethane

A type of finish used on hardwood to protect it from damage. Polyurethane finishes do not require waxing.

Prefinished

Hardwood floors that are stained with color and sealed with a protective finish by the manufacturer prior to installation.

Quarter-Sawn

Radiant Heating

System installed under flooring to keep floors at a comfortable temperature. Typically used under stone and ceramic floors.

Random Length

Flooring sold in cartons with boards that have different lengths.

Random Width

Flooring sold in cartons with boards that have different widths. Random width boards create a traditional or vintage look.

Reclaimed Wood

Wood salvaged from an old structure and refinished for another project, like furniture or floors.

Reducer Strip

Molding that finishes the space between hardwood or laminate flooring and other flooring surfaces, like vinyl or carpet.

Refinish

The act of sanding down a wood floor and finishing it again to reduce the appearance of wear and tear or to change the stain
color. A solid wood floor may be refinished many times, while an engineered wood floor can only be refinished if the veneer
is 2mm or thicker.

Sapwood

The tree's pipeline for moving water and minerals up the tree trunk to the leaves. Sapwood is new wood. As newer rings of
sapwood are produced, its inner cells lose their vitality and turn into heartwood.

Shoe Molding

Humidity-resistant molding for high traffic areas.

Site-Finished (vs. “prefinished”)

Hardwood floors that are stained with color and sealed with a protective finish at the installation site.

Solid Wood

Boards manufactured from ONE piece of wood, unlike engineered wood, which uses multiple plies to form the boards.

Species

Type of tree, such as oak, cherry, or walnut. Different wood species have different levels of hardness that affect durability;
graining, which affects the board’s look; and natural color, which can be kept natural or stained.

Square Edge

Floor board edges that are created to lay flush to the next board to decrease the appearance of lines between boards. Square
edges give a room a more formal look.

Square Nose

Trim used along the walls of floating floors.

Stair Nose Molding

A finishing piece applied to the forward edge of stairs, step-downs, and landings, creating a rounded quality finish.

Strip Flooring

Board width is less than 3 inches.

Structural Integrity

A term often used in a guarantee or warranty to assure the floor’s composition/construction will remain intact.

Subfloor

The structural layer intended to provide the home's floor support, which may receive floor coverings directly if the surface
is appropriate, or indirectly via an underlayment if the surface is not suitable.

White Wash

A type of wood finish that cures over time and provides a chalky, worn look. White wash is a cost-effective finishing option.

Width

The width of the individual wood boards that make up the floor. “Strips” are narrow boards measuring less than 3 inches wide.
“Planks” are wider boards, measuring 3 inches wide or more.

Wire-Brushed

A distressing technique to give wood boards a time-worn look.

Wood Species

The primary species from which the wood floor is made, e.g., oak, hickory, maple, etc.

Wood Stain

A type of paint that is very "thin" or low in viscosity, and formulated so that the pigment penetrates the surface rather
than remaining in a film on top of the surface. The stain is predominantly pigment or dye and solvent with little binder.